CES Commemorates the 1956 Hungarian Revolution

With the help of a grant from the Hungarian Initiatives Foundation, the Center for European Studies is hosting a series of events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution in late October-early November. The events will focus on how the failed revolution was reflected in sport, politics, and international relations in Hungary and the United States.

The series will begin with a lecture by Dr. Toby Rider from Cal-Fullerton on October 25 titled “Part High Adventure and Part Dangerous Long Shot”: The Melbourne Defection and U.S. Cold War Strategy.” Based on a chapter from his recently published book Cold War Games: Propaganda, the Olympics and U.S. Foreign Policy, he will talk about the US government’s involvement in helping Hungarian athletes to defect to the US, with the help of individuals and Sports Illustrated. (3 pm, Keene-Flint 005)

The second event will be a lunchtime seminar with Johanna Mellis, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History on October 26th, titled “After 1956: The Impact of the Revolution on Elite Sport Policy and Athletes in Hungary.” She will discuss the broader influence of the 1956 Revolution on Hungarian sport and athletes’ lives until 1989. (11 am, Turlington 3312)

Rounding out the theme of sport and the Revolution, there will be a screening of Freedom’s Fury on November 1. This is a documentary about the political, social and cultural factors leading up to and resulting from the famously bloody water polo match between the Hungarians and Soviets at the Melbourne Olympic Games. (5:30 PM, Reitz Union Auditorium)